Temporal Dominance of Sensations (TDS): a new deal for temporal sensory analysis

Decoding of the enhancement of saltiness perception by aroma-active compounds during Hunan Larou (smoke-cured bacon) oral processing

The enhancement of saltiness induced by odrants perceived from the retronasal cavity during Larou oral processing was analyzed. During the oral processing of Xiangtan Larou, the smoky attribute was the dominant when chewing 0-15 times, followed by the savory (15-24 times) and meaty (24-42 times). Partial least squares analysis predicted 33 aroma compounds from the retronasal cavity significantly (p < 0.05) contributing to the aroma perception. A total of 12 aroma compounds with saltiness-enhancement ability were confirmed by odorant-NaCl mixture model experiments. Results revealed that 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol (1.00-1000.00 μg/L) had the strongest enhancing effect on saltiness at NaCl (2969.85 mg/L), followed by diallyl sulfide (0.156-2.50 μg/L), 2,5-dimethylthiophene (0.156-50.00 μg/L), 2,6-dimethylphenol (1.00-100.00 μg/L), 2,5-dimethylpyrazine (0.391-50.00 μg/L), and 2,3-butanedione (0.50-100.0 μg/L). The sulfur-containing, nitrogen-containing, and phenolic odorants with savory, roasty, sulfide, meaty or smoky, attributes showed the better ability in saltiness enhancement.

The insights into sour flavor and organic acids in alcoholic beverages

Alcoholic beverages have developed unique flavors over millennia, with sourness playing a vital role in their sensory perception and quality. Organic acids, as crucial flavor compounds, significantly impact flavor. This paper reviews the sensory attribute of sour flavor and key organic acids in alcoholic beverages. Regarding sour flavor, research methods include both static and dynamic sensory approaches and summarize the interaction of sour flavor with aroma, taste, and mouthfeel. In addition, this review focuses on identifying key organic acids, including sample extraction, chromatography, olfactometry/taste, and mass spectrometry. The key organic acids in alcoholic beverages, such as wine, Baijiu, beer, and Huangjiu, and their primary regulatory methods are discussed. Finally, future avenues for the exploration of sour flavor and organic acids by coupling machine learning, database, sensory interactions and electroencephalography are suggested. This systematic review aims to enhance understanding and serve as a reference for further in-depth studies on alcoholic beverages.

From Traditional to Intelligent, A Review of Application and Progress of Sensory Analysis in Alcoholic Beverage Industry

Sensory analysis is an interdisciplinary field that combines multiple disciplines to analyze food qualitatively and quantitatively. At present, this analysis method has been widely used in product development, quality control, marketing, flavor analysis, safety supervision and inspection of alcoholic beverages. Due to the changing needs of analysis, new and more optimized methods are still emerging. Thereinto, intelligent and biometric technologies with growing attention have also been applied to sensory analysis. This work summarized the sensory analysis methods from three aspects, including traditional artificial sensory analysis, intelligent sensory technology, and innovative technologies. Meanwhile, the application sensory analysis in alcoholic beverages and its industrial production was scientifically emphasized. Moreover, the future tendency of sensory analysis in the alcoholic beverage industry is also highlights.

Temporal dominance of Sensations: Do different concepts of "dominance" affect the results?

The purpose of this study was to understand the role of "dominance" definitions in the results of TDS applied to consumers. This study compared two temporal dominance of sensations (TDS) approaches - TDS-I - that attracts the most attention and TDS-II - most intense/strongest sensation - in the context of evaluating artisanal Minas cheeses from the Serra da Canastra and chocolate with different cocoa concentrations samples. TDS curves were constructed and a trajectory-based principal component analysis (PCA) was performed dominance rates at ten equally spaced time points. Additionally, difference curves, multiple factor analysis (MFA) and regression vector coefficient (RV coefficient) were performed to compare the two approaches. The findings showed that the two approaches produced similar results, suggesting that consumers interpret the terms dominant and intense in a similar way during TDS evaluations, the results were even closer at the chocolate study than at the cheese study. However, in both approaches were observed low dominance rates and differences between the sensation perception time, mainly in the evaluation of cheese flavor. This variability may be attributed to the complexity of the cheese's flavor and the varied interpretations of dominance among evaluators. Despite these differences, the approaches showed similar characterizations across the same samples, demonstrating high reproducibility and a strong ability to differentiate between samples. This study demonstrates that the choice between the terms dominant (which captures more attention) or intense (stronger) to guide consumers in performing the sensory test does not significantly influence the results. Consequently, it is possible to adopt greater freedom and flexibility in the terminology used to instruct participants in conducting the test.

Sensory characterisation of meatless and nitrite-free cooked ham alternatives in comparison to conventional counterparts: Temporal dominance of sensations and partial napping with ultra-flash profiling

The cooked ham market is expanding with nitrite-free and meatless alternatives gaining traction as leading trends. An understanding of the attributes that influence the sensory quality of cooked ham is crucial for developing healthier and environmentally sustainable products. The primary aim of this study was to investigate how the removal of nitrites and the use of meatless ingredients affect the sensory characteristics of cooked ham currently available in the Irish market. Sensory evaluation of selected cooked hams (n = 8), including alternatives without nitrites or based on mycoprotein (meatless), was conducted using Temporal Dominance of Sensations (TDS) for in mouth processing and Partial Napping (PN) with Ultra-Flash Profiling (UFP) for the appearance, by a trained sensory panel (n = 9). The nitrite-free cooked ham displayed a similar temporal sensory profile and appearance to the products of the same category, highlighting the opportunity for more nitrite-free products to enter the market. The meatless product was dominated by a "smoky" flavour, which was perceived as "artificial". Meatless ham had a more distinct appearance than the meat-based products and was associated with attributes such as "fake", "artificial colour" and "unappealing". In general, results revealed distinct differences between whole-muscle and sectioned and formed cooked ham products in terms of texture, flavour, and appearance. PN and UFP grouped whole-muscle cooked hams together, which were associated with terms "natural-looking", "better quality" and "healthier", while sectioned and formed cooked hams were perceived as "cheap" and "artificial". The results of this study contribute to a better understanding of the sensory attributes of cooked ham products emphasising the challenges related to novel formulations, and offers valuable insights for the development of healthier and more sustainable meat products within the food industry.

Decoding the Effect of Running on Flavor Perception Changes during Consumption of Sports Drinks

An online survey was conducted to show that most respondents preferred sports drinks with sweet and fruity characteristics. Eleven sports drinks with higher consumers' preferences were further selected for aroma and taste evaluation. Temporal dominance of sensations analysis showed that fruity and fresh attributes were dominant, while sour and fruity sweet were dominant tastes during consumption. β-Damascenone, β-ionone, and linalool contributing to floral perception, γ-decalactone, ethyl cinnamate, and isoamyl acetate contributing to fruity perception, and menthol contributing to fresh perception were confirmed by odor activity value analysis. Running affected the nasal air flow and the saliva secretion, resulting in the flavor perception changing from fruity sweet, sweet, and fruity to sour because the recognition threshold decreased for sweet, fruity, floral, and fresh flavors and increased for saltiness, astringency, and sour tastes.

Sensory attributes of fine flavor cocoa beans and chocolate: A systematic literature review

Fine flavor cocoa (FFC) is known for its unique flavor and aroma characteristics, which vary by region. However, a comprehensive overview of the common sensory attributes used to describe FFC beans and chocolate is lacking. Therefore, a systematic review was conducted to analyze existing literature and identify the most commonly used sensory attributes to describe FFC beans and chocolate. A systematic search of the Web of Science and Scopus databases was conducted in May 2023, and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed to ensure transparency and reproducibility. This review summarizes the origins of cocoa and explores their unique flavor profiles, encompassing caramel, fruity, floral, malty, nutty, and spicy notes. Although some origins may exhibit similar unique flavors, they are often described using more specific terms. Another main finding is that although differences in sensory attributes are anticipated at each production stage, discrepancies also arise between liquor and chocolate. Interestingly, fine chocolate as the final product does not consistently retain the distinctive flavors found in the liquor. These findings emphasize the need for precise descriptors in sensory evaluation to capture flavor profiles of each origin. As such, the exploration of attributes from bean to bar holds the potential to empower FFC farmers and chocolate producers to effectively maintain quality control.

Multi-attribute temporal descriptive methods in sensory analysis applied in food science: A systematic scoping review

Among descriptive sensory evaluation methods, temporal methods have a wide audience in food science because they make it possible to follow perception as close as possible to the moment when sensations are perceived. The aim of this work was to describe 30 years of research involving temporal methods by mapping the scientific literature using a systematic scoping review. Thus, 363 research articles found from a search in Scopus and Web of Science from 1991 to 2022 were included. The extracted data included information on the implementation of studies referring to the use of temporal methods (details related to subjects, products, descriptors, research design, data analysis, etc.), reasons why they were used and the conclusions they allowed to be drawn. Metadata analysis and critical appraisal were also carried out. A quantitative and qualitative synthesis of the results allowed the identification of trends in the way in which the methods were developed, refined, and disseminated. Overall, a large heterogeneity was noted in the way in which the temporal measurements were carried out and the results presented. Some critical research gaps in establishing the validity and reliability of temporal methods have also been identified. They were mostly related to the details of implementation of the methods (e.g., almost no justification for the number of consumers included in the studies, absence of report on panel repeatability) and data analysis (e.g., prevalence of use of exploratory data analysis, only 20% of studies using confirmatory analyses considering the dynamic nature of the data). These results suggest the need for general guidelines on how to implement the method, analyze and interpret data, and report the results. Thus, a template and checklist for reporting data and results were proposed to help increase the quality of future research.

Dynamic Instrumental and Sensory Methods Used to Link Aroma Release and Aroma Perception: A Review

Perception of flavor is a dynamic process during which the concentration of aroma molecules at the olfactory epithelium varies with time as they are released progressively from the food in the mouth during consumption. The release kinetics depends on the food matrix itself but also on food oral processing, such as mastication behavior and food bolus formation with saliva, for which huge inter-individual variations exist due to physiological differences. Sensory methods such as time intensity (TI) or the more-recent methods temporal dominance of sensations (TDS) and temporal check-all-that-apply (TCATA) are used to account for the dynamic and time-related aspects of flavor perception. Direct injection mass spectrometry (DIMS) techniques that measure in real time aroma compounds directly in the nose (nosespace), aimed at obtaining data that reflect the pattern of aroma release in real time during food consumption and supposed to be representative of perception, have been developed over the last 25 years. Examples obtained with MS operated in chemical ionization mode at atmospheric or sub-atmospheric pressure (atmospheric pressure chemical ionization APCI or proton-transfer reaction PTR) are given, with emphases on studies conducted with simultaneous dynamic sensory evaluation. Inter-individual variations in terms of aroma release and their relevance for understanding flavor perception are discussed as well as the evidenced cross-modal interactions.

TDS Similarity: Outlier Analysis Using a Similarity Index to Compare Time-Series Responses of Temporal Dominance of Sensations Tasks

Temporal dominance of sensations (TDS) methods are used to record temporally developing sensations while eating food samples. Results of TDS tasks are typically discussed using averages across multiple trials and panels, and few methods have been developed to analyze differences between individual trials. We defined a similarity index between two time-series responses of TDS tasks. This index adopts a dynamic level to determine the importance of the timing of attribute selection. With a small dynamic level, the index focuses on the duration for attributes to be selected rather than on the timing of the attribute selection. With a large dynamic level, the index focuses on the temporal similarity between two TDS tasks. We performed an outlier analysis based on the developed similarity index using the results of TDS tasks performed in an earlier study. Certain samples were categorized as outliers irrespective of the dynamic level, whereas the categorization of a few samples depended on the level. The similarity index developed in this study achieved individual analyses of TDS tasks, including outlier detection, and adds new analysis techniques to TDS methods.

A Timely Application-Temporal methods, past, present, and future

Eating is a dynamic experience, and temporal sensory methods have been proposed to document how products change over the course of consumption or use (nonfood). A search of online databases yielded approximately 170 sources related to temporal evaluation of food products that were compiled and reviewed. This review summarizes the evolution of temporal methodologies (past), offers guidance in selecting appropriate methods (present), and provides insights into the future of temporal methodologies in the sensory space. Temporal methods have evolved to document a variety of characteristics in food products including how the intensity of a specific attribute changes over time (Time-Intensity), which specific attribute is dominant at each time during evaluation (Temporal Dominance of Sensations), which attributes are present at each time point during evaluation (Temporal Check-All-That-Apply), and many others (Temporal Order of Sensations, Attack-Evolution-Finish, and Temporal Ranking). In addition to documenting the evolution of temporal methods, this review considers the selection of an appropriate temporal method based on the objective and scope of research. When choosing a temporal method, researchers should also consider the selection of panelists to perform the temporal evaluation. Future temporal research should focus on validation of new temporal methods and explore how methods can be implemented and improved to add to the usefulness of temporal techniques for researchers.

Development of an Effective Protocol for Evaluating the Saltiness Intensity Enhancement of Umami Compounds

Reducing sodium intake without decreasing saltiness perception remains an important target in the food industry. This study developed an effective protocol for evaluating the saltiness perception enhanced by umami compounds. Two sodium chloride solutions (2.00 and 6.00 g/L) were the preferred concentrations for consumers. Two-alternative forced-choice evaluation results confirmed that at a concentration of 2.00 g/L (sodium concentration), the highest replacement ratios of monosodium glutamate and l-alanine (Ala) were 10 and 20% in sodium chloride solution without saltiness intensity decrease, respectively. The highest replacement ratios of l-glycine (Gly) and Ala were 10 and 20% compared to 6.00 g/L, respectively. Temporal dominance of sensations analysis figured out that gum Arabic (GA) could compensate for the decrease of the retention time and increase the overall saltiness perception in the sodium-reduced sample. Quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation results showed that Ala and Gly could inhibit the binding of Na⁺ to mucin, thereby increasing the saltiness perception. GA exhibited the best saltiness enhancement effect in sodium-reduced solution by producing the nanoparticles from GA, decreasing the stability of the solution system, enhancing the loading effect of mucin on Na⁺, and prolonging the saltiness perception.

Effect of Solid Fat Content in Fat Droplets on Creamy Mouthfeel of Acid Milk Gels

Previous studies have shown that emulsions with higher solid fat content (SFC) are related to a higher in-mouth coalescence level and fat-related perception. However, the effect of SFC in fat droplets on the fat-related attributes of emulsion-filled gels has not been fully elucidated. In this study, the effect of SFC on the creamy mouthfeel of acid milk gel was investigated. Five kinds of blended milk fats with SFC values ranging from 10.61% to 85.87% were prepared. All crystals in the blended milk fats were needle-like, but the onset melting temperature varied widely. Blended milk fats were then mixed with skim milk to prepare acid milk gels (EG10−EG85, fat content 3.0%). After simulated oral processing, the particle size distribution and confocal images of the gel bolus showed that the degree of droplet coalescence in descending order was EG40 > EG20 > EG60 > EG10 ≥ EG85. There was no significant difference in apparent viscosity measured at a shear rate of 50/s between bolus gels, but the friction coefficients measured at 20 mm/s by a tribological method were negatively correlated with the coalescence result. Furthermore, quantitative descriptive analysis and temporal dominance of sensations analysis showed that SFC significantly affected the ratings of melting, mouth coating, smoothness and overall creaminess, as well as the perceived sequence and the duration of melting, smoothness and mouth coating of acid milk gels. Overall, our study highlights the role of intermediate SFC in fat droplets on the creamy mouthfeel of acid milk gels, which may contribute to the development of low-fat foods with desirable sensory perception.

Multi-attribute temporal descriptive methods in sensory analysis applied in food science: Protocol for a scoping review

Background

Sensory perception is a temporal phenomenon highly present in food evaluation. Over the last decades, several sensory analysis methods have been developed to determine how our processing of the stimuli changes during tasting. These methods differ in several parameters: how attributes are characterized (intensity, dominance or applicability), the number of attributes evaluated, the moment of sample characterization (simultaneously with the tasting in continuous or discrete time, retrospectively), the required panel (trained subjects or consumers), etc. At the moment, there is no systematic review encompassing the full scope of this topic. This article presents the protocol for conducting a scoping review on multi-attribute temporal descriptive methods in sensory analysis in food science.

Methods

The protocol was developed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) extension for Scoping Reviews checklist. The research question was "how have multi-attribute temporal descriptive methods been implemented, used and compared in sensory analysis?". The eligibility criteria were defined using the PICOS (Population, Intervention, Comparator, Outcome, Study design) framework. This protocol details how the articles of the final review will be retrieved, selected and analyzed. The search will be based on the querying of two academic research databases (Scopus and Web of Science). The main topics reported in research involving sensory analyses methods will be identified and summarized in a data extraction form. This form (detailed in the protocol) will be used to report pertinent information regarding the objectives of the review. It could also be reused as a guideline for carrying out and reporting results of future research in a more standardized way. A quality appraisal process was derived from literature. It will be applied on the included articles of the review, and could also be re-used to ensure that future publications meet higher quality levels. Finally, for the sake of transparency, the limitations of the protocol are discussed.

Physicochemical Properties and Mouthfeel in Commercial Plant-Based Yogurts

There is a growing need for plant-based yogurts that meet consumer demands in terms of texture. However, more research is required to understand the relationship between physicochemical and mouthfeel properties in plant-based yogurts. The purpose of this study was to determine the physicochemical properties of five commercial plant-based yogurt alternatives with different chemical compositions, making comparisons to dairy yogurts and thick, creamy, thin, and watery mouthfeel sensations. The physicochemical parameters studied included large and small deformation rheology, particle size, soluble solids, acidity, and chemical composition. Significant differences in flow behavior and small deformation rheology were found between dairy- and plant-based yogurts. Among plant-based yogurts thick, creamy, thin, and watery mouthfeel sensations were strongly associated with steady shear rates and apparent viscosity. The results highlight the importance of large deformation rheology to advance the use of plant-based ingredients in the development of yogurt alternatives. Furthermore, this study demonstrates that dairy- and plant-based yogurts with a similar mouthfeel profiles may have different viscoelastic properties, which indicates that instrumental and sensory methods should not be considered substitutive but complementary methods when developing plant-based yogurts in a cost-effective and timely manner.

Effects of oenological tannins on aroma release and perception of oxidized and non-oxidized red wine: A dynamic real-time in-vivo study coupling sensory evaluation and analytical chemistry

Addition of oenological tannins claims to have a positive impact on wine stability, protection from oxidation and likely sensory persistence. However, their role on red wine aroma during oxidation is controversial. The present study aims at investigating the effect of addition of oenological tannins on wine flavour (mainly aroma) before and after air exposure. Temporal Dominance of Sensations, a dynamic sensory evaluation, was coupled with a dynamic chemical measurement (nosespace analysis) using a Proton-Transfer-Reaction Mass-Spectrometer connected to the nasal cavity of 17 assessors. Results showed that the oxidation of a non-oaked Pinot Noir red wine decreases the fruity aroma dominance and increases the maderised and prune one. A contextual decrease of the fruity ethyl decanoate and increase of oxidative Strecker aldehydes are observed. Ellagitannins but not proanthocyanidins preserved perception of fruitiness and prevented increase of maderised notes. Moreover, ellagitannins increase the aroma persistence mainly in the non-oxidized wine.

Linking Temporal Dominance of Sensations for Primary-Sensory and Multi-Sensory Attributes Using Canonical Correlation Analysis

Sensory responses dynamically change while eating foods. Temporal dominance of sensations (TDS) methods record temporal evolution and have attracted attention in the last decade. ISO 13299 recommends that different levels of attributes are investigated in separate TDS trials. However, only a few studies have attempted to link the dynamics of two different levels of sensory attributes. We propose a method to link the concurrent values of dominance proportions for primary- and multi-sensory attributes using canonical correlation analysis. First, panels categorized several attributes into primary- and multi-sensory attributes. Primary-sensory attributes included sweet, sour, fruity, green, watery, juicy, aromatic, and light. Multi-sensory attributes included refreshing, fresh, pleasurable, rich/deep, ripe, and mild. We applied the TDS methods to strawberries using these two categories of attributes. The obtained canonical correlation model reasonably represented the relationship between the sensations in a reductive manner using five latent variables. The latent variables couple multiple primary- and multi-sensory responses that covary. Hence, the latent variables suggest key components to comprehend food intake experiences. We further compared the model based on the dominance proportions and the time-derivatives of the dominance proportions. We found that the former model was better in terms of the ease of interpreting the canonical variables and the degree to which the canonical variables explain the dominance proportions. Thus, these models help understand and leverage the sensory values of food products.

An Overview of Sensory Characterization Techniques: From Classical Descriptive Analysis to the Emergence of Novel Profiling Methods

Sensory science provides objective information about the consumer understanding of a product, the acceptance or rejection of stimuli, and the description of the emotions evoked. It is possible to answer how consumers perceive a product through discriminative and descriptive techniques. However, perception can change over time, and these fluctuations can be measured with time-intensity methods. Instrumental sensory devices and immersive techniques are gaining headway as sensory profiling techniques. The authors of this paper critically review sensory techniques from classical descriptive analysis to the emergence of novel profiling methods. Though research has been done in the creation of new sensory methods and comparison of those methods, little attention has been given to the timeline approach and its advantages and challenges. This study aimed to gather, explain, simplify, and discuss the evolution of sensory techniques.

Remote testing: Sensory test during Covid-19 pandemic and beyond

Restrictions adopted by many countries in 2020 due to Covid-19 pandemic had severe consequences on the management of sensory and consumer testing that strengthened the tendency to move data collection out of the laboratory. Remote sensory testing, organized at the assessor’s home or workplace and carried out under the live online supervision of the panel leader, represents a trade-off between adequate control and the convenience of conducting testing out of the lab. The Italian Sensory Science Society developed the “Remote sensory testing” research project aimed at testing the effectiveness and validity of the sensory tests conducted remotely through a comparison with evaluations in a classical laboratory setting. Guidelines were developed to assist panel leaders in setting up and controlling the evaluation sessions in remote testing conditions. Different methods were considered: triangle and tetrad tests, Descriptive Analysis and Temporal Dominance of Sensations tests, all of which involved trained panels, and Check-All-That-Apply and hedonic tests with consumers. Remote sensory testing provided similar results to the lab testing in all the cases, with the exception of the tetrad test run at work. Findings suggest that remote sensory testing, if conducted in strict compliance with specifically developed sensory protocols, is a promising alternative to laboratory tests that can be applied with both trained assessors and consumers even beyond the global pandemic.

Bootstrap Resampling of Temporal Dominance of Sensations Curves to Compute Uncertainties

In the last decade, temporal dominance of sensations (TDS) methods have proven to be potent approaches in the field of food sciences. Accordingly, thus far, methods for analyzing TDS curves, which are the major outputs of TDS methods, have been developed. This study proposes a method of bootstrap resampling for TDS tasks. The proposed method enables the production of random TDS curves to estimate the uncertainties, that is, the 95% confidence interval and standard error of the curves. Based on Monte Carlo simulation studies, the estimated uncertainties are considered valid and match those estimated by approximated normal distributions with the number of independent TDS tasks or samples being 50-100 or greater. The proposed resampling method enables researchers to apply statistical analyses and machine-learning approaches that require a large sample size of TDS curves.

Challenges of pairing chocolates and nuts: Perceptions, interactions and dynamics of contrasting chocolates with nuts

Chocolates paired with nuts are highly marketed products, however, there is a lack of scientific research and limited understanding of consumer sentiment towards the combination of these food products. The main objective of this research was to determine the consumers' response towards pairing five different chocolates (dark origin, milk, Gold, white fruity, and white vanilla) and three different nuts (hazelnut, almond, and pistachio) for the creation of pairing guidelines within Barry Callebaut's range. TimeSens© software was applied to assess the dynamic interaction of flavors through temporal dominance of sensations (TDS). It was observed that each type of chocolate presents different interactions of dominant flavors depending on the nut and its applications. Furthermore, variables such as liking, balance, and check-all-that-apply (CATA) were analyzed to create pairing guidelines related to different responses on the predominant flavor of each of the chocolates. These case studies determined that the liking of the different pairs was influenced by the dominant flavors of each of the chocolates and the balance found in the match. From the predominant flavors, it was concluded that respondents preferred chocolates with sweet and dairy attributes such as: milky, creamy, buttery. Salty and vanilla flavors also made good pairs as they accentuate the nut flavor. On the contrary, chocolates with intense bitter, roasted, cocoa, and sour flavors did not create the best combinations with the nuts, as these are contrasting or strong flavors that consumers are usually unfamiliar with when combined with nuts. To complement this study, further analysis can be developed using other types of chocolates, nuts, and applications, and then comparing the dominant flavors of the chocolates with distinctive nuts to assess the consumers' response towards the combinations.

Sensory characterization of Baijiu pungency by combined time-intensity (TI) and temporal dominance of sensations (TDS)

Pungency is increasingly being recognized as an important factor of overall sensory quality, palatability, and consumer preference of distilled spirits. The characterization of pungency is necessary to evaluate the potential sensory quality of distilled spirits. In this study, the temporal profiles of pungency of Baijiu with different aging times were evaluated using time-intensity (TI) and temporal dominance of sensations (TDS) methods, considering both pungency intensity and pungency sub-qualities. TI results indicated significant differences in release rate of pungency during Baijiu consumption. Compared to young Baijiu, old Baijiu tend to show higher release rate of pungency, the areas under the curve and duration of pungency were significantly decreased in old Baijiu. The TDS results showed significant differences in the combination of dominant sub-qualities, as well as in the maximum dominance rates and the dominant duration of sub-qualities among Baijiu. The young Baijiu were mainly characterized by the dominant sub-qualities of "burning" and "numbing", whereas for old Baijiu, "burning", "prickle", and "drying" were dominant. The application of TI and TDS provided dynamic and temporal profiles of pungency to fully characterize pungency differences of distilled beverages.

Emotions Evoked by Colors and Health Functionality Information of Colored Rice: A Cross-Cultural Study

This study aimed to examine the emotional responses evoked by cooked colored rice and its health functionality information in both consumers who eat rice as a staple food and consumers who do not eat rice as a staple food. Specifically, Korean and American consumers were exposed to colored rice and its health functionality information and an emotion lexicon was generated and measured based on focus group interviews (FGI) and two online consumer surveys. In test 1, the emotions evoked by presentation of stimuli to Koreans (N = 10) and Americans (N = 10) were extracted through FGIs and the first online consumer survey (Koreans = 69; Americans = 68) and an emotion lexicon was generated. As a result, a total of 34 terms were confirmed. Test 2 was conducted during the second online consumer survey (capturing data from a total of 208 Koreans and 208 Americans), utilizing the terms generated in test 1. In this test, only the colors (CO) of colored rice were presented to one group, while colors and health functionality information (CO&H) were presented to the other group. The overall liking for stimuli in both countries was highly correlated with familiarity. Koreans showed significantly more familiarity and liking for CO of white and black CO rice, while Americans showed significantly more familiarity and liking for CO of white and yellow rice. Hierarchical cluster analysis was performed to categorize the emotion terms, and the emotion terms were sorted into the three clusters, “Positive”, “Negative”, and “New”, for both countries. Under informed conditions, the emotions became more positive, and emotions in the “New” cluster were evoked in both countries. The current study employed a cross-cultural approach to assess consumers’ emotional responses to colored rice and health functionality information. Our findings suggest that providing foods with preferred colors for each culture and providing sufficient information on the said foods will help to promote unfamiliar foods.

Impact of 'free-from' and 'healthy choice' labeled versions of chocolate and coffee on temporal profile (multiple-intake TDS) and liking

Product reformulation for obtaining "free-from" or "healthy choice" versions may confer significant changes in sensory characteristics which could not meet consumer expectations in terms of sensory perception. Therefore, this paper aims to evaluate the influence of formulations of different product categories on their dynamic sensory profile and consumer acceptability. A sensory panel of 23 semi-trained assessors evaluated two product categories, chocolate and milk coffee, using Temporal Dominance of Sensations (TDS) over three consecutive intakes/sips (multiple-intake TDS) on two replications. TDS allowed us to describe the dynamic profile of classic products over the three intakes and to identify differences in the sensory temporal profile compared to their 'healthier choice' reformulated versions. For the chocolate category, increasing the cocoa and the reduction of lactose content mainly influenced the dominance of sweetness, dairy, cocoa, crunchy and bitterness attributes. No sugar addition and absence of caffeine (decaffeinated version) in ready to drink milk coffee beverage modified temporal perception of sweetness, bitterness, coffee flavor and smoothness texture. Higher overall liking averages were associated with the dominant attributes of chocolate with a higher level of cacao and milk coffee decaffeinated. The obtained results of the present work suggest that the multiple-intake TDS technique can be applied for the evaluation of different food categories, helping to develop healthier products and predicting the liking.

Characterizing the Dynamic Taste and Retro-Nasal Aroma Properties of Oral Nutritional Supplements Using Temporal Dominance of Sensation and Temporal Check-All-That-Apply Methods

Orally Disintegrating Tablets (ODTs) are used to restore the nutritional status of people suffering from swallowing pathologies such as dysphagia. ODTs are consumed without water intake and are easily swallowed. The main active compounds of ODTs are vitamins and minerals. These nutrients can have a bad taste or aftertaste, which can be masked by sweetening or flavoring. To ensure the effectiveness of masking strategies and to prescribe a product to patients with acceptable sensory qualities, it is essential to perform a precise and complete sensory characterization of these ODTs. Temporal dominance of sensations (TDS) and temporal check-all-that-apply (TCATA) methods were chosen to characterize the temporal sensory perceptions during the consumption of four ODTs varying in galenic forms and flavoring because of their particularly acute temporality in flavor perception. The ODTs presented common and individual sensory properties, mainly related to their galenic form and to the nature of the active ingredients. The use of a nose-clip to stop retro-nasal airflow showed that flavoring had a minimal impact on the sensory taste qualities of the ODTs. A comparison between the TDS and TCATA results indicates that these tests are capable of providing complementary information on the dynamic sensory qualities of the products studied. Although results were generally similar for both methods, TDS showed a greater number of differences in sensory taste attribute, whereas TCATA was more discriminating. These methods allowed for a better understanding of the evolution of sensory perceptions of these ODTs during their consumption, which could help to optimize masking strategies and develop new products with acceptable sensory properties.

Using Multiple Sensory Profiling Methods to Gain Insight into Temporal Perceptions of Pea Protein-Based Formulated Foods

The food industry is focused on creating plant-based foods that incorporate pea protein isolates. However, pea protein isolates are often described as having persistent beany, bitter, and astringent notes that can decrease the desirability of the resulting foods and make static sensory profiling difficult. To obtain more realistic descriptions of the sensory experiences associated with this category of products, researchers should consider using temporal methods and multi-intake methods, which allow consumers to evaluate whole food portions. This study aimed to understand better how product composition affected the sensory perception of pea protein-based beverages using three different sensory profiling methods. Particular focus was placed on beany, bitter, and astringent notes. Twelve pea protein-based beverages were formulated; they varied in pea protein type (pellet vs. isolate) and their content of gellan gum, salt, sunflower oil, sugar, and soy lecithin. They were evaluated by 16 trained panelists using three sensory profiling methods: static block profiling, mono-intake temporal dominance of sensations (TDS) profiling, and multi-intake TDS profiling. The static block and mono-intake TDS profiling methods yielded complementary results about the impact of beverage composition on attribute perceptions. Static block profiling revealed that beaniness was mainly affected by gellan gum and oil content and that bitterness and astringency were mainly affected by protein type and gellan gum content. Mono-intake TDS profiling highlighted the dynamics of beaniness and the strong persistence of astringency, and its results suggested that higher gellan gum and salt contents could limit this persistence. Multi-intake TDS profiling found that, throughout the consumption of a full product portion, beaniness and bitterness decreased, indicating an adaptation effect, while fattiness increased, indicating a build-up effect. This study has increased the understanding of how pea protein-based beverages are perceived under conditions that more closely resemble those associated with real-life consumption. It has also revealed how product formulation can reduce bitterness and astringency.

Dynamic aspects of salt reduction in tomato sauce by use of flavor enhancers and a bitter blocker

Several government agencies have established guidelines for the food industry to reduce sugar, fat, and salt in processed foods. The objective of this study was to determine the dynamic sensory profile of tomato sauce formulated with flavor enhancers, a bitter blocker and 50% sodium content reduction. The perception of consumers and a trained panel was explored. Consumers performed temporal dominance of sensations (TDS) and temporal acceptance (TA) while the trained panel performed time-intensity analysis (TI). TA indicated that flavor enhancers improve initial acceptance of a sample but that its masking effect weakens 30 s after ingestion. TI showed that despite promoting salty equivalence, substitute salts were not able to completely suppress the bitter taste characteristic of potassium chloride and the addition of lysine as a bitter blocker was the least effective strategy. In TDS the bitter taste was not dominant in any of the samples. However, the presence of unusual flavors/tastes to the consumers like metallic and umami seems to have interfered negatively in the evaluation of the flavors. Flavor enhancers have been widely used to reformulate processed foods in order to reduce sodium content, preserving sensory acceptance. This study provides information on the dynamic behavior of different salt substitutes.

Reducing phosphate in emulsified meat products by adding chia (Salvia hispanica L.) mucilage in powder or gel format: A clean label technological strategy

This study evaluated the functional properties of chia mucilage powder (MCP) and gel (MCG) as a phosphate replacers in low-fat Bologna sausages. Four treatments were produced without phosphates (F1-2% MCP; F2-2% MCG; F3-4% MCP; F4-4% MCG) and two with 0.25% phosphate (F5-2% MCG and F6-4% MCG) besides control (20%-fat-0.5% phosphate). Samples containing mucilage were less firm and less chewy on day 0, except F3. Treatments containing 2% MCG were judged acceptable and provided better emulsion stability than those with MCP. Adding 4% MCP or MCG resulted in Bolognas with lower relaxation times and more restricted mobility and lowest sensorial acceptance characterized by the terms light brown and dark pink color (F4). The microscopy images exhibited less cohesive structure in treatments with 4% of MCG, suggesting the formation of a weaker bound protein network. Chia mucilage gel at 2%, due to its functional properties, has proven to be a feasible strategy to substitute 50% phosphate in low-fat Bologna sausages.